Most of us have heard about Parkinson’s disease and can visualize the symptoms of the disease. You probably picture Muhammad Ali or Michael J. Fox exhibiting shakes or tremors. What you don’t think of perhaps, is the mental aspects of this neurological disease. Parkinson’s is a disease caused by neurodegeneration, neurons dying in excess, and this is brought about by a variety of different things. Mutated or irregular genes is one possible way the neurodegeneration can come about. Parkin, PINK1 and DJ-1 are a couple different genes that have been known to cause problems and lead to Parkinson’s. Even though researchers have identified these genes and their link to Parkinson’s, little is known about the actual mechanism by which mutations in these genes can cause neurodegeneration. Another big piece of the Parkinson’s disease story is inflammation.
Inflammation, for those of your neuronerds who follow this blog, has been talked about at length last week in relation to concussions. Researhcers have found that inflammation may also be linked with Parkinson’s and this does not bode well for professional athletes in contact sports. Inflammation being linked with Parkinson’s may seem like a no-brainer due to how fragile the brain and its structures are. Inflammation causes harm to microglial cells, which help support neurons and keep them healthy, which can cause critical imbalances of chemicals needed for natural neuron function. No matter what the cause, Parkinson’s is a disease that affects people in more ways than just the tremors. A somewhat murky understanding of the mental problems associated with Parkinson’s is now being looked at more and more by researchers and might shed some light on the links between Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The many causes and symptoms of Parkinson's
